Liberian Rebels Hand over Monrovia Port to Peacekeepers

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, August 15, 2003

Liberian Rebels Hand over Monrovia Port to Peacekeepers

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Liberia's main rebel group Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) officially handed the Monrovia port over to a Nigerian-led peacekeeping force on Thursday, according to reports from the Liberian capital Monrovia.

US Ambassador to Liberia John Blaney and LURD leader Sekou Fofana attended the brief handover ceremony held on a nearby bridge.

"We have no reason to doubt the credibility of the Americans, and we have no reason to doubt the credibility of the peacekeepers, so we will leave as we have said. I'm leaving right now," Fofana was quoted as saying.

The ceremony was held about two hours after US Marines landed aboard nine helicopters in the capital to help West African peacekeepers take over security in the hungry and battle-worn city.

The US Marines who flew into Monrovia's airport are part of a 2,300-strong task force floating offshore to back up the peacekeepers.

Peacekeeping forces from West African countries began their deployment in the areas used to be controlled by the rebels in Monrovia on Thursday.

Some Nigerian soldiers have crossed the Old Bridge, entering the districts, meeting no resistance from the rebels.

Monrovia appeared quiet after Taylor stepped down and handed over power to Blah, then vice president, on Monday.

On Tuesday, the rebels agreed to withdraw troops from a two-month siege of Monrovia and promised to pull back completely from the city by noon Thursday, allowing aid and food to flow again to hundreds of thousands of starving people.

The Liberian civil war, which lasted more than 14 years and claimed at least 200,000 lives, flared up again in 1998 following attacks launched by the LURD rebels in northern Liberia.

Civil war over the past decade has made Liberia among the most miserable places in the world and the latest unrest since 1998 has forced some 300,000 Liberians to flee to neighboring countries and left thousands more dead.

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